Category: Kerala

We came to Fort Kochi a bit tired and bedraggled after a wonderful, but strenuous 13 day journey along the River Nila (which we will tell you about soon!), with the idea of just spending a couple of days relaxing and lazing before returning home to Bombay. But the moment we reached this quaint little corner…

All around is there is silence, even the coconut trees are waiting. The drummers begin, creating a tempo that increases quickly, whipping themselves and the air around into a frenzy. The ‘god’ then appears and begins his dance, moving around in circles, at once quickly and then slower, swinging his sword in slow deliberate movements.

Kathakali is a form of dance and story telling, practiced in southern and central Kerala which takes its roots from ancient social and religious theatrical forms dating back over 1500 years. The preparation for the dance is as elaborate as the dance itself, and getting the performer ready involves hours of intricate makeup, something we were…

But what is most striking about the state, is its myriad shades of green. From the dark green leaves of the forests that surround the backwaters, to the lighter shades of the tea leaves; from the blue green waters along the coast to the yellow green of the paddy fields, the state has it all. It is almost as if the colour green was made for the state of Kerala, and everyone else got what was left.

After 3 odd weeks of travelling down the eastern coast of India, we make our way up the western coast from Kanyakumari into Kerala. After exploring the capital city of Trivandrum, where we had possibly the best meal of our trip so far, and lazing at the Varkala cliff, we have reached Kollam, the southern…